Console manufacturer Calrec Audio has made its first sales into Russian with the installation of two Artemis Beam desks at Television Centre Ostankino in Moscow for use by NTV-PLUS. The 48-fader consoles are being used on a Hydra2 network, allowing operators to have work with any I/O on the system. Most of Russia’s TV services are broadcast from Television Centre Ostankino, also known as the Moscow Television Centre, and satellite digital broadcaster NTV-PLUS has updated its facilities there with the addition of the Artemis Beams. The consoles were supplied through systems integrator OKNO TV. The broadcaster adopted Dolby Digital 5.1 in 2005, with HDTV transmission starting two years later. The new audio desks give operators further options in surround sound, as well as the capability to move material between studios. The reported aim behind this is to increase productivity, in addition to being able to handle more complicated productions. NTV-PLUS’s chief technical officer, Oleg Kolesnikov, comments, “We aspired to find a system that will match the requirements of our broadcasting and production facilities. We hope this choice offers the best answer for live sports productions and studio shows. NTV-PLUS is widely known as a technologically pioneering company in the Russian broadcast market and this digital audio transition with Calrec will allow us to keep this high standard position.” The broadcaster offers subscription services to most of Russia and Ukraine. It transmits 180 channels, including news, sport, films, documentaries, children’s, HD and 3D programming. During the London 2012 Olympic Games NTV-PLUS hired three Artemis consoles for its coverage. Calrec has been extending its sales operation into eastern Europe in recent years, with the substantial Russian market an obvious target. “We are thrilled about our first sale to the prominent Russian station, NTV-PLUS,” says Mike Reddick, the company’s European sales manager. “We feel it is a very positive first step in forging strong bonds between our companies in what will be a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Calrec offers a solution for today’s broadcaster that allows scope for change and expansion, which is especially poignant for the forward thinking television company, as NTV-PLUS is.” www.ntvplus.ru